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Ok,I got permission from my wife to set up the 55g in our bedroom this spring/summer. So, plans are under way to get started. I have the tank so far, lol.

I am trying to decide the most cost-effective way to filter this bad boy. The two tanks I have now (10g & 20g) each have the AquaClear HOB filters and they have been great filters. The price is right also, when compared to the Eheim Cannister 2026.

So, let's hear what y'all have to say about filters! Experiences are welcome!

Hi Scott

Congrats on getting the appropriate approvals in place

The AC HOBs are great filters (I use one alongside a canister on my big tank), but a canister would definitely be my choice of primary filtration in a 55g or larger tank.

If you do look at canisters there is nothing saying that you have to go the Eheim route... there are lots of canisters out there so shop around and research wider than just this site for experiences with them. Personally I am more than happy with my el-cheapo jebo canisters and just don't see the point in the extra $ for a bigger brand name when what I have does exactly what I want it to do.

Have fun with this tank. I know it's been a long time in the planning.

G_T

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

I have the Aquaclear HOB on my 55 and on occasion I run a quickfilter attached to a power head. Although if I had the money I would switch to a canister filter on it. For a couple of reasons, one is a larger filter media capacity. The second is that a Canister filter can also be set up with Several inline attachments, that will reduce the clutter of equipment in the tank itself. One item is an inline heater, and the second would be a UV sterilizer.

I would defiantly recommend the Sterilizer. If I had had one on my 55 I would have avoided several problems that developed in advance.

mts.gif" border="0"> I vote do you?
My Tanks at Photobucket

I am very happy with my Marineland Penguin HOB filter... it is very powerful, has an adjustable flow rate, has the biowheels, and has four slots for media cartriges... you can buy the cheaper cartriges by aquaclear for it too, so you dont have to pay bigger bucks for the name... i got my filter for up to a 75 for arround 60$ at a local LFS...

Aquaclear and Whisper are good filters, but i think they lack a bit in the ability to create a good flow...

GOOD LUCK and THANK GOD you finally got permission...

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

canister wins just about every argument. less maintence, better media, less noise, hidden eqiupment, lives longer. The list just keeps going.

Someone mentioned why pay for a name brand in a canister. Some people insist you are just paying for the name on the box and in most situation this stands true. With electronic eqiupment this hardly is ever the case. The price cut is usually found in the eqiupment itself. Thinner plastics, less flow rate, but usually it comes down to the motor. The motor is typically the biggest cut these other companies do. They die within a few yrs or begin to make horrible noises. Flow rates start to suffer no matter how much you clean it.

So all the advantages of owning a canister become void and your extra few hundread dollars is wasted. Spend the extra $50 or so dollars and go with a name brand like Eheim. I own one and not once have had an issue. Matter of fact ive had 2 pengiun 330s die on me in the time ive owned it. I use the pengiuns as back up filters incase my canister has an issue. so far canister has cost me no extra money and the penguins have cost me $35 between the 2 of them. Thats what i paid for one new !

Other canisters are also known to leak. we arnt talkin a small drip from a hose either. These stories usually include wakeing up in the morning to a half empty tank. Cheap seals and thin plastic on locks will bite ya every time.

I am trying to decide the most cost-effective way to filter this bad boy.

Does this mean you have already decided to go via a cheap model filter?
With filters it pays to look at quality and certainly not the cost. There are plenty of filters out there to choose from in fact too many.
Being in the bedroom you certainly do not want a noisy unit or one that will leak because of faulty seals.

Quality will cost more in the long term but it will still be running perfectly years down the track. My 5yld Eheim Pro11 is as good as the day I bought it no replacements other than a impeller shaft rubber guide ( which I lost but found later)
I would forget about cost, look at quality only and that is Eheim every time. At the moment I am looking for a Eheim HOB to give me more room in the Betta tank. I would go for a canister but it would be very difficult to set up.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
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ahhhh, well let's not confuse cost effective with cheap lol

cost effective can mean expensive once over cheap 3X lol

Good points Keith!

"Being in the bedroom you certainly do not want a noisy unit or one that will leak because of faulty seals."

Some people, myself being one, are very sensitive to noises that other people just hear as background noise. Just as keith said the bedroom means you just have to be extra careful. You may never notice it till you're trying to fall asleep, or it keeps waking you at 3am. And you may not realize what is causing it at first. But I digress. For a 55, in the bedroom I'd go cannister as well. Outside the bedroom you might consider two AC's one on each end, and possibly a powerhead as well. Canisters move the water different IMO and to handle the water movement you'd need to get proper filtration on a 55 you'd need to spend about as much as a canister would cost to begin with!

Before leaving the states I had bought an Eheim ecco cannister from big als. That thing was GREAT! Very quiet, easy to operate (as I later found out when trying to get a cannister for our 5' tank), and very cost effective.


^_^

I get a Canister filter with a cabinet stand that way you can keep everything hidden and the the wife WILL be happier. Akso it will block out sound af the noise from air pumps filters or anything elae you want. Don't get sucked into the beleaf that expensive mean better... yes there are some cheaping made out there, and there a some cheap things made top quaility. Do the resaerch, the cascade filter is just as good and the othere but a half the cost.

Djrichie
"So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish" Douglas Adams

With all that being said, HOB are nice but especially if you are going planted you will need a canister... Also you can get good use canisters of ebay also, if they will last that long then it might be better to buy one used and save money with quality and then when you have the money, invest in a new one later on.

Also I am moving to canisters from HOB when i have the money so my planted tanks will work better.

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

Hi,
Setting up a 55G tank is really quite a task, and
maintaining it can be messy at times. Bubbling water,
filter pump vibration, air pump vibrations and
other noises that come from a properly running tank
can become the "monster in the closet" in
the middle of the night. Noises that would not
be noticed in any other room of the house can be
quite another situation when they are in the master
bedroom. Water stains on the hardwood floor, or rug,
Not to mention the uproar if the filter leaks during
a good night's sleep...

That's a huge tank to have set up and running only to have
to tear it down and move it after a day or two.

I'd think twice about the master bedroom as a site for a
tank.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

lol too late Frank! It's up, running and nearly cycled... and actually, we both kind of like the tinkle of water that we hear at nite.. the airpump is inaudible...

and well... water everywhere in the bedroom is equal to water everywhere anywhere else in the house... it's water, it's wet...

soon it will be time to stock!!! yay!